_____________ bill NO. _____________

INTRODUCED BY _________________________________________________

By Request of the ****

A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: "AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE "STAGECOACH MARY" MARY FIELDS MEMORIAL HIGHWAY IN CASCADE county; DIRECTING THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO INSTALL SIGNS AT THE LOCATION AND TO INCLUDE THE MEMORIAL HIGHWAY ON THE NEXT PUBLICATION OF THE STATE HIGHWAY MAP; PROVIDING AN APPROPRIATION; and PROVIDING AN IMMEDIATE EFFECTIVE DATE."

WHEREAS, Mary Fields was born a slave in Tennessee, circa 1832, and lived enslaved for more than 30 years; and

WHEREAS, Mary Fields was freed from slavery when President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863; and

WHEREAS, when Mary Fields was 52 years old, she moved to Cascade, Montana; and

WHEREAS, in 1895, Mary Fields was hired as the second woman and the first African American to work as a mail carrier in the United States because she was the fastest applicant to hitch six horses; and

WHEREAS, the United States Postal Service established Mary Fields as the first African-American female star route mail carrier in the United States, carrying mail from Cascade, Montana, to St. Peter's Mission; and

WHEREAS, Mary Fields earned the nickname "Stagecoach Mary"; and

WHEREAS, Mary Fields drank whiskey, swore often, smoked handmade cigars, wore pants under her skirt, and carried a gun under her apron; and

WHEREAS, although women were not allowed entry into saloons, Mary Fields was given special permission by the mayor of Cascade, Montana, to come into any saloon any time she liked; and

WHEREAS, Mary Fields was such a beloved member of the Cascade, Montana, community that the schools were closed in honor of her birthday; and

WHEREAS, the 67th Legislature of the State of Montana honors Mary Fields for her life of courage, adventure, and friendship.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:

NEW SECTION. Section 1. "Stagecoach Mary" Mary Fields memorial highway. (1) There is established the "Stagecoach Mary" Mary Fields memorial highway on existing Old U.S. Highway 91 from reference marker 0 at 4th Avenue North in Cascade, Montana, to reference marker 14.3 at Railroad Avenue in Ulm, Montana.

(2) The department shall design and install appropriate signs marking the location of the Mary Fields memorial highway.

(3) Maps that identify roadways in the state must be updated to include the location of the "Stagecoach Mary" Mary Fields memorial highway when the department updates and publishes the state maps.

NEW SECTION. Section 2. Appropriation. There is appropriated $1 from the general fund to the department of transportation for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2021, for the purposes provided in [section 1].

NEW SECTION. Section 3. Codification instruction. [Section 1] is intended to be codified as an integral part of Title 60, chapter 1, part 2, and the provisions of Title 60, chapter 1, part 2, apply to [section 1].

NEW SECTION. Section 4. Effective date. [This act] is effective on passage and approval.